


Death's Visit

by BenjiEmrys



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I love my boys, M/M, Minor Character Death, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 01:15:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18560947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BenjiEmrys/pseuds/BenjiEmrys
Summary: Stiles isn't one to keep secrets about himself, he likes to think of himself as an open book. But that's not to say he doesn't enjoy his privacy.There are certain things Stiles likes to keep for himself, that is until Derek Hale enters his life.





	Death's Visit

"Wait Stiles said what?" Malia queried over her cup of coffee, her inescapable eyes bearing into Derek's through the hot steam.

The pack were all seated in an old coffee shop downtown - well, all minus one important member who Derek purposely left out of his invitation. It was a change of scenery from their usual meet-up spots of Derek's apartment and the animal shelter, but Derek couldn't risk being anywhere Stiles would be right now.

"This is awesome news man, why aren't you over the moon right now?"

"Scott, we're talking about me visiting my boyfriend's dead mom not an all-fucking-expense paid trip to the Bahama's!" Derek swore, irritation attempting to cover up his nerves.

"I think what Scott is trying to say, Derek," Lydia chimed in, once and forever the middleman in these kinds of arguments. "Is that this is a really big deal for you and Stiles's relationship, so you should at least feel some form of pride in that."

Derek buried his face in his hands and let out the groan he'd been holding in since Stiles asked him. "How am I meant to take pride in this?"

"Derek," the joking tone now leaving Scott's voice. "I don't think you get it. Stiles doesn't take anyone to see his mom's grave, and I mean anyone. The only time I ever went was for the funeral and even then it was the Sherriff who invited my mom and me, not Stiles."

"So what you're saying is that this is a really big deal?" Derek muttered, earning a chorus of "yes"s from the pack as they each drank their beverages.

"That doesn't make things any easier!" Derek cried out, thankful that the coffee shop was empty so no one apart from the pack could see his "little" outburst.

Derek kept his face buried in his hands until he felt the sofa beside him dip down under someone else's weight. Slowly, Derek lifted his head and was met with the burning amber of Malia's eyes.

"You love him right?" Her tone was blunt but there was no malice behind it, Derek found himself only able to nod along to what she said. "Then what are you so damn afraid of?"

Though he hated to admit it, the were-coyote was right. What was he afraid of? Embarrassing himself? Letting Stiles down?

"I-I don't know," was all that Derek could whisper out, his eyes never leaving the floor at his feet. 

"Go and do it for him Derek, he doesn't care what happens he just wants you to be there with him." For once Derek was able to see the rare compassion Malia secretly held; he never thought he'd be so happy for his cousin to be in his life until that moment. 

"Since when did you get so wise?" Lydia mused from across the table and soon the pack was back to their usual humour and antics, except for Derek, who found himself drifting further and further away as his mind repeated Malia's (indeed) wise words: 

"What are you so damn afraid of?"

\---

This was not exactly how Derek saw himself spending his Sunday mornings with Stiles. When they first started dating, the hopeless romantic he still denies living deep inside him pictured lazy morning kisses and long walks through the woods; yet while visiting dead parents didn't play a role in that vision, Derek didn't overall resent this.

"Thanks for coming," Stiles mumbled as he buried his head in Derek's chest, arms wrapping around his back to pull him in closer. "You really didn't have to - I mean, I really want you here, like really want you here but I just want you to know if you want to leave you can leave I wouldn't blame you honestly-"

"Stiles I want to be here," Derek cut off his rambling boyfriend, a soft grin etched on his face as he gazed down at Stiles. "I think it's time I met her, I want to meet her."

Once again Stiles buried his face deep into Derek's chest, nuzzling into the leather jacket as he muttered out, "God I love you."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Derek feigned innocence, pulling away from Stiles to wrap one arm around his shoulder while the other still held on tightly to the bouquet of lilies he spent hours picking out. 

"Shut up, I tell you enough as it is," Stiles laughed along but Derek could hear the strain on his voice, feeling the other's heartbeat quicken as they passed the gates of the graveyard.

Automatically, Derek reached down grasped Stiles's hand, linking their fingers together with a squeeze of support. "Are you sure you're ready for me to meet her?"

Stiles took in a deep breath but didn't stop walking, "you have no idea how long I've been waiting to do this." He spoke over his shoulder, leading Derek through the maze of graves and headstones. The late Fall wind was blowing softly against their cheeks, dying leaves were swirling at their feet and it felt almost wrong to think of such a dark place as beautiful.

"I know what you're thinking," Stiles started, not looking back at Derek as he spoke. "I felt like that too the first few times I came here, but then I learnt to accept that maybe this place isn't filled with as much torment as we think - the silence is . . . peaceful." 

"H-how'd you know what I was thinking," Derek sputtered, once again forgetting just how much of a genius his boyfriend is.

"Hate to break it to you, Derek," the usual shit-eating grin was back on Stiles's face; and for the first time since entering the graveyard, Derek felt a sense of calm wash over him. "You're really easy to read, I mean come on, how did you stay on the run for so long?"

Derek was about to retort but he soon found himself slamming into Stiles's still frame, he was about to complain but before he could open his mouth Stiles was already kneeling down beside a grave.

Derek stood frozen as he watched Stiles get on his knees, unable to see his boyfriend's expression Derek could feel all of his previous nerves and anxieties flooding back into his system. All he could do was stand idly by, arms hanging limply at his sides and watch Stiles speak with such comfort to the decaying, marble headstone. 

"Hi mom," the teen began, his voice soft as if his mother was only sleeping and he feared to be too loud would wake her - the gentle tone of his boyfriend was also making Derek awkwardly conscious of his breathing. "I brought someone with me today, I really hope you like him because I don't think I'm ever gonna find anyone like him again."

Derek began to blush profusely, so caught up in Stiles's gushing he didn't notice the other male move aside to give Derek some room. A light cough brought Derek back to reality and he glanced down to see Stiles looking expectantly at him and he began to kneel down.

"Oh, uh, hi Mrs Stilinski." Derek cursed at himself for how awkward he sounded, nerves seeming to attack every vocal chord in his body. Subconsciously, he began fidgeting with the flowers in hand, some flower petals fell off and blew away in the wind. Shit, this is not how he wanted this to go.

"Relax," Stiles whispered in his ear, a hand coming to stroke his back gently in comfort. "Just be yourself, I know she'll love you."

Derek took a deep breath in, Stiles hand never leaving his back as he began to speak again. "Hi, Mrs Stilinski, I'm Derek, Stiles's-" He turned to Stiles for help, was he allowed to say, boyfriend? Shit, are there any unspoken rules he's not allowed to break? Double shit, had he already broken any of them?

Upon seeing his boyfriend's panicked gaze, Stiles rolled his eyes and pulled Derek closer until their knees sat side-by-side. "Mom, this is Derek, my boyfriend - who's apparently forgotten how to act like a person!"

"Hey! I'm nervous," Derek retorted, but he couldn't be more grateful for Stiles's "unconventional" sense of humour at that moment and time. 

"And no one blames you for that sweetheart," Stiles gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek then turned back to face his mom. "Look, mom, he even brought you your favourites."

Derek sat frozen for a second before remembering the flowers in his hands. "Oh, right, sorry Mrs Stlinski, I didn't know which ones to get you but your son here is surprisingly an amazing florist."

"Don't worry," Stiles whispered. "Dad forgot to bring flowers to the funeral, we can laugh about it now but back then-" Stiles dropped his eyes to the floor, his light tone faltering as he spoke.

"Hey," Derek took Stiles's chin between his fingers and brought their gazes together. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Stiles nodded, but it was obvious he was close to tears at that moment. "I'm just really glad you're here with me right now." 

Without having to think, Derek pulled Stiles into his chest and hugged the boy for dear life. "I'm not ever leaving you to do this by yourself Stiles, whatever you have to face just know you won't have to face it alone. I'm here backing you one-hundred per cent, you don't have to worry."

As Stiles broke down into Derek's chest - tear stains meeting the mixed sounds of sobs and "I love you"'s - Derek looked up to see a pure, white butterfly land on top of Claudia's headstone. He moved to say something but couldn't find the words to describe what he was seeing, all he could do was nudge Stiles to look up too. 

Stiles gasped softly as he leant against Derek, his hand finding its way into his boyfriend's as they held each other beside his mother's grave. "Death works in mysterious ways," he whispered, so quiet Derek almost didn't hear him. The wolf only nodded as he buried his face into Stiles's neck, breathing in the teen's scent to keep himself from crying.

"You have one hell of a son here Mrs Stilinski, I promise I'm gonna keep him safe; I'd protect him with my life."

\---

"Can I ask you something?"

Derek's ears perked up, he looked over at Stiles as they walked back to his car hand-in-hand. Neither had spoken since they left the grave and while the silence was comforting, Derek couldn't help but feel curious at what Stiles had to say.

"Sure what is it?"

"Why do you-" Stiles stopped dead in his tracks, shaking his head as if he were forming the words on the spot. "Why do you never visit your mom's grave?"

Silence. Once again. The only sound was of the wind blowing through the trees, no birdsong to accompany it - only silence.

"Oh God I've just fucked everything up now, haven't I?" Stiles groaned, pulling his hand away from Derek's, his face burning out of embarrassment.

"What, no!" Derek called out -maybe too loud for a graveyard setting- and pulled Stiles back into him. "I'm sorry, you just took me by surprise I- I don't know."

Stiles stared up at him, hand coming up to rest on his cheek as he looked straight into Derek's eyes. As green met brown, Derek's heart fluttered when he heard Stiles's next few words.

"You don't know? Or are you afraid to say you do?" Stiles asked, there was no venom behind his voice, but he could still hear the pain in his tone -from the lack of trust he assumed his boyfriend had in him.

Derek was about to protest, but the more he thought about it, the less he could disagree. He was afraid, he was so damn afraid, but still, he couldn't admit it to anyone, could he?

He looked down at his and Stiles's conjoined hands, squeezing as if he were testing reality; his gaze moved up to Stiles's chest, the teen's heartbeat racing a mile a minute; lastly, he met Stiles's eyes and that was when Derek Hale truly caved.

"I don't want to do it alone," Derek whispered, his hands finding themselves on Stiles's hips. "I can't bring myself to do it alone."

"But you're not alone," Stiles leant in, connecting his lips with Derek's in a tender yet passionate kiss. Before Derek had the time to kiss back, Stiles was already gone. 

"You'll come with me?" Derek murmured, pulling Stiles closer, the fear of losing him stronger than anything else he'd ever felt.

"I'd follow you anywhere," Stiles retorted, smile finding its way on his face yet again. "To the end of the fucking earth."


End file.
